Inslee to Senate GOP: Come to budget negotiations
OLYMPIA -- After formally setting the start of a special legislative session for 10 a.m. Monday, Gov Jay Inslee criticized Senate Republicans for putting conditions on starting formal budget negotiations.
Republicans and Democrats are holding negotiations on improvements to the state's school system, and "that's fine," Inslee said, but there's more to the 2017-19 operating budget that the state needs. Insisting on pre-conditions to start negotiations will only lengthen the process.
Inslee also criticized a recent comment by Sen. Dino Rossi, of Sammamish and the second-ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, that lawmakers just have to be patient, as if they were fishing.
"They look at it like it's recreations, sitting in the sun, fishing," Inslee said.
Senate Republicans introduced a new bill that copies the House tax proposal they have criticized, and may use special parliamentary procedures to bring it to the Senate floor Friday. They plan to vote no, but will force Senate Democrats to take a stand.
